Philion, bass; nine others
Sunnyside SSC 1666 (CD). 2022. Philion, prod.; Nick Broste, eng.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
The works of the greatest jazz composers are often neglected today because most current jazz musicians are obsessed with writing their own stuff. Enter Ethan Philion, a Chicago bassist who reveres Charles Mingus and believes, correctly, that Mingus's music is underperformed.
Meditations on Mingus is rich with rewards that only come from accessing a genre's strongest repertoire. It contains 50- and 60-year-old…